Group follows O’Donnell to Høstfest
By ANDREA JOHNSON, Staff Writer ajohnson@minotdailynews.comArticle Photos
Thousands of fans converged on the three concerts put on by popular Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell at the Norsk Hstfest this weekend, but one group of fans is even more dedicated than most.
Bill Arsenault, of Burnsville, Minn., said some members of his group have traveled to other states and other countries to see O'Donnell perform. Everyone in his group has been to at least 100 O'Donnell concerts; some have seen as many as 250 concerts. The group includes Arsenault and his wife, Beth, plus June Larsen of Oakdale, Minn.; Sandra Helms of Bakersfield, Calif.; June Padelford, of Oakdale, Minn.; Dorothy Sullivan of Sioux Falls, S.D.; Russ and Jean Stuhr of Platteville, Wis.; and Phyllis Wicinski of Newport Beach, Calif. Wincinski decorated her hat with pins featuring different pictures of O'Donnell. Others in the group were wearing O'Donnell T-shirts.
Arsenault said the members of the group would never have met if they hadn't encountered each other at O'Donnell concerts, but now they often get together at concerts all over the United States. They stay at each other's houses if a concert happens to be near their home cities.
O'Donnell and his music are the main draw for the passionate group of fans, but they are also all people who love to travel, see new places and make new friends. They said there's also a Yahoo news group dedicated to O'Donnell where fans can trade pictures of different events.
They are big fans, but they said they're only the biggest fans in this part of the Midwest. O'Donnell has a huge following all over the world. Most of them have traveled to see O'Donnell perform in Ireland and Scotland as well as in different parts of the United States.
Arsenault said this was his first visit to the Norsk Hstfest and he also really enjoyed his time in Minot.
O'Donnell's concert series has appeared seven times on PBS and he has sold about 10 million records.
